Finding chunks in your breast milk can concern new moms or even those who have been breastfeeding for a while and are seeing them for the first time. White clumps can happen for different reasons, and we will explore some of the common causes, implications for your baby, and how to treat them.
Is it Normal to Have Clumpy Breast Milk?
It can be very typical to have clumpy milk if the reason is a “fat plug” or a thick layer of lipids (fat) in your breast milk after you’ve expressed it and it sits. The solution to incorporating this fat layer into your breast milk is stirring or shaking gently before you give it to your baby. If it is just fat, it will mix with the milk thoroughly in the container. If the milk has been frozen or put in the fridge, the fat layer may separate from the rest more readily but will mix with the milk when warmed and stirred.
Usually, if it’s fat only, a uniform layer or cap will be on top of the pumped milk. If something else is causing the clumpy milk, there will most likely be more than one lump of white coagulation.
Why is My Breast Milk Chunky?
Other than being a layer of milk fat, there may be many reasons your breast milk shows lumps, strings, or chunks after being pumped or hand-expressed. Other situations may need professional treatment.
Some providers say that mothers who feel stressed or pressured to fulfill all of the expectations others have for new mothers are more likely to have an issue with milk production.
Let’s discuss some of the reasons you may have white breast milk chunks after pumping:
- Plugged Milk Ducts - The milk glands get over-distended, and the milk can coagulate or clump together.
- Mastitis—Breast inflammation is sometimes caused by infection. It can cause pain, clumping from milk stasis, and oozing tinged with blood. It can also increase the risk of other systemic infections.
- Subclinical mastitis (subacute mastitis) may not have any symptoms. The most common clinical cause of clumpy breast milk is a coagulase-positive bacteria - perhaps a staph strain, like Staphylococcus aureus.
How Do I Treat The Issues Causing My Breast Milk to Be Chunky?
If a fat layer is causing the white chunks, stir the fat in the milk and give it to your baby.
Inflammatory issues with the breasts during lactation can frequently be treated in the outpatient setting. If the mother has no signs of infection, such as fever, chills, intense pain, or other symptoms of illness, she can try conservative measures for 24 hours.
For plugged or clogged milk ducts, these measures may include:
- Frequent breastfeeding to empty the affected breast.
- Pumping to help empty the affected breast.
- Antipyretics (anti-fever meds) for a high temperature.
- Physical rest - inflammation and infection can cause exhaustion.
- Cold compresses to breast tissues - you may feel heat with infected breast tissue.
- Drink lots of fluids.
Doctors recommend the BAITmethod to treat a clogged milk duct. BAIT stands for:
- Breast rest - feed by your baby’s cues
- Anti-inflammatories - NSAIDS, if recommended by your healthcare provider.
- Ice - Apply for 10-20 minutes every one to two hours when not sleeping.
- Tylenol - for pain relief.
However, if the symptoms persist, we should consider it, as it is vital to take a culture and run sensitivity testing to identify the organism responsible for infections. Sometimes, an ultrasound is needed to differentiate between a plugged duct and mastitis. Your care provider may order antibiotics.
For mastitis, the same measures above apply, and:
- Take antibiotics, as instructed, if ordered by your healthcare provider.
- Inform the provider if there is no improvement after another 24 hours on the antibiotics. They may need to prescribe another type. The sensitivity testing may provide a more appropriate antibiotic.
The World Health Organization recommends performing a breast milk culture and sensitivity test when mastitis does not improve after a mother has been on an antibiotic for 48 hours.
For an abscess:
Healthcare providers may check for signs and symptoms of an abscess. If you have one, your healthcare provider may want to aspirate it using a needle, or it may require surgical treatment. Abscesses are painful, and blood may also be present in the purulent fluid. They may require continual draining to empty the infection from the area affected.
Should I Seek Medical Care for Chunks in My Breast Milk?
You should seek guidance from your doctor or lactation consultant for the right treatment for any longstanding issues or if you suspect you are developing an infection in one breast or both.
The symptoms of infection may include:
- Feeling ill, or as though you have the flu.
- Fever
- Breast swelling
- An area of your breast or nipple changes color, the redness gets more extensive, or you see streaks of red on your breast.
- You see a wound that looks like it’s oozing yellow liquid or puss.
- Your nipple changes shape or looks different from the other.
Milk stasis can cause blocked milk ducts and breast infections if not treated immediately. Whether you are pumping breastmilk and feeding your baby from a bottle or breastfeeding from one breast or both, you risk the backup of milk in your breasts if you stop this regimen.
Consult your lactation consultant or other medical care provider if you plan to start weaning your baby from breastfeeding or have to stop for any reason. These are when the risk of milk stasis becomes highest.
How Can I Prevent Clumpy Breast Milk?
Concerned parents want to know how to prevent this clumping from happening and ensure that they decrease the risk of a breast infection occurring. Some prevention methods include:
- Keeping your hands clean and your breasts from getting dry skin goes a long way to deter infection.
- Make sure breasts are empty after feedings. If your baby does not eat all your breast milk, you may need to include a pumping session after breastfeeding and store the expressed milk.
- If you notice a harder area under your breast tissue, it may indicate blocked or plugged milk ducts. If found soon after the lumps form, you can resolve the plugged ducts quicker.
- You can massage your breasts before breastfeeding, massage the plugged areas, and, if the problem is in the area of the nipples, roll the nipples between your thumbs and fingers.
- Applying steady pressure on the side of the plug farthest from the areola and nipple while breastfeeding your baby can also help.
Can I Feed My Baby My Clumpy Breast Milk?
Parents with chunky or clumpy breast milk may be concerned about whether it is safe to feed their baby. Generally, it is okay to feed your infant breast milk with clumps. Feeding your child frequently can reduce the uncomfortable feeling you have from the fullness of your affected breast or breasts.
Continue your normal routine feedings unless you have been diagnosed with a more aggressive infection, such as Streptococcus group B. In this rare case, you must pump during the first few days of your antibiotic regimen and discard the milk.
After your fever and infection have resolved, you may continue breastfeeding. Your pediatrician should also treat this strep infection in your baby because it is so aggressive.
A less aggressive bacterial infection or other breast infection should not keep you from breastfeeding. Babies can go on feeding from their mother’s affected breast.
Can I Continue to Pump if I Have White Chunks in My Breast Milk?
Yes, you can continue to pump. The most common reason for white chunks in breast milk is fat accumulation on the top of the milk with the expression of breast milk after using a breast pump.
A pump session may reveal this white fatty layer, which you can mix into the milk and feed to the baby immediately. If frozen, the milk fat can separate and then be mixed again when the milk is thawed.
The Momcozy M9 high-efficiency pump can efficiently and completely remove all of the milk from the mother’s breasts to keep blocked or clogged milk ducts from happening. Babies can get all the nutritious liquid from the mother’s completely emptied breasts, which will deter any backup or clumping in the milk.
FAQs About Clumpy Breast Milk
Q: Why is my milk chunky but not spoiled?
The most common reason for chunky milk is the fat separating from the milky liquid after pumping. You can remedy this by gently swirling or stirring the milk. If you see different colors of breast milk in the storage containers, it is more likely that this has occurred if it has been in the freezer or the refrigerator.
Q: How do I know if my breast milk is spoiled?
The three common factors in determining if your breast milk is spoiled are:
- Scent - if it smells rancid or sour. Fresh breast milk usually has a sweet or soapy smell.
- Appearance- Breast milk is typically white, light yellow, cream-colored, or blue-white.
When stored in the fridge or freezer, it may separate into two layers (a white, creamy layer on top and a watery layer on the bottom). When warmed for feeding, it should mix well. If it is still separated, it may mean it is spoiled by bacteria or has gone bad in the storage bag.
- Taste- You may want to take a small sip of the milk. It may be unusable if it is rancid or sour after being stored.
The three signs best indicate whether the milk is still good, can be used, or has spoiled and needs to be discarded.
Q: Is it normal for breastmilk to look curdled?
As this article has discussed, there are many reasons for breast milk to appear curdled or clumpy. It is most likely fat clumps if they mix well with the other liquid, and the clumps disappear before feeding it to your babies. It shouldn't be used if it does not pass the smell, appearance, and taste test discussed in the previous question.
Conclusion
White chunks, hanging strings, or clumping after you pour expressed milk into containers may concern new parents. There are many different reasons for this. The cause is usually not harmful and is a separation of lipids or fat from the milk after it has been expressed. However, sometimes, it can indicate an underlying infection and needs to be treated by a professional.
Plugged or blocked milk ducts can be painful for new moms, and complications may present that are more in need of attention, such as subclinical mastitis, full-blown mastitis, and abscess of the breast. These conditions may need to be addressed conservatively or aggressively by a medical provider, depending on their seriousness.
